Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to image sensors. More particularly, embodiments of the inventive concept relate to methods and devices for processing pixel signals of an image frame, and determining the motion of an object according to a comparison result.
A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor is a solid-state image sensing device which leverages attributes of CMOS technology. As a result, when compared to charge coupled device (CCD) image sensors, the CMOS image sensor has lower manufacturing costs, smaller dimensions, and consumes less power. Recent improvements in CMOS image sensor performance have resulted in the CMOS image sensor being widely adopted in both non-portable home appliances and in portables (or mobile) devices such as smart phones and digital cameras.
Low power consumption in mobile devices is a high design priority, and research has been active to reduce the power consumption of CMOS image sensors. Generally, there is a trade-off between reduced power consumption and increased performance, and in the field of CMOS image sensors, efforts continue to maximize the reduction of power consumption while maintaining necessary operational characteristics.